St. Joseph's Day is a
Roman Catholic feast day
commemorating the life
of St. Joseph, the
step-father of Jesus and
husband of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. People with
very strong religious
association, often those
of southern Italian
descent, typically
celebrate St. Joseph's
Day. March 19 is said to
be St. Joseph's
birthday.

During a famine in
Sicily, when food was
scarce and many people
were starving, the poor
people had only their
faith to rely on. St.
Joseph was known as the
protector of the Holy
Family and Italians had
strong family
relationships, so they
prayed for St. Joseph to
intercede for them so
they could have
successful crops. Their
prayers were answered,
and the famine came to
an end. In gratitude,
people promised to make
annual offerings of
their most precious
possession – food – in
St. Joseph's honor.

Today, the faithful
erect "St. Joseph
Tables," which are set
to honor St. Joseph.
They are filled with
beautiful and often
elaborate foods,
including meatless
dishes such as stuffed
artichokes, pasta and
fish, as well as breads,
cookies, pastries, cakes
and other delicacies.
Each table is blessed by
a priest and presided
over by a statue of St.
Joseph. A stalk of lily
blossoms, votive candles
and a lace tablecloth
are other typical items
used to decorate the
feast table.

When you visit a St.
Joseph's table, you
often receive gifts of
fava beans and breads.
Fava beans play an
integral part of the
celebration because this
was the food that saved
the Sicilians from
starvation. The bean is
said to bring good luck,
and it is believed that
if the St. Joseph's
bread is kept in the
home, the family will
never starve.